PSI exam: 22 Bengaluru candidates in the dock for OMR 'tampering'

BENGALURU: Just days after investigators hinted at the police sub-inspector (PSI) recruitment scam having occurred in examination centres even outside Kalaburagi, 12 people who had cracked the now-annulled exam were arrested in Bengaluru on Saturday. The suspects were produced before a local court which has remanded them in a 10-day police custody.
The fresh FIR filed at the High Grounds police station names 22 candidates, who had taken the exam in three centres in Bengaluru, as accused. Police indicated that more arrests will follow based on this complaint filed by P Narasimhamurthy, the investigating officer with the CID probing the scam.
Narasimhamurthy stated that 172 candidates who had written examinations in Bengaluru were selected and that the CID issued notices to all the candidates to produce their hall ticket and carbon copy of their OMR (optical mark recognition) sheets, of whom 168 produced the same between April 20 and 21.
CID police seized and sent the OMR sheets and carbon copies to Forensic Science Laboratory, Madiwala, for scientific examination. A subsequent FSL report submitted to CID on April 28 confirmed tampering of OMR sheets of 22 of the 168 candidates.
Soon after receiving the report, the CID had summoned the 22 candidates. Nine of them appeared on Friday, three more appeared on Saturday. The candidates were unable to explain the differences between their OMR sheets and the carbon copy, the complaint reads.
According to the FIR, the candidates under scanner are Jagruth S, Gajendra B, Somanath Mallikarjunanaih Hiremath, Raghuveer HU, Chethan Kumara MC, Venkatesh Gouda BC, Manoj AP, Manukumar GR, Siddalingappa Padashavagi, Mamatesh Gowda S, Yashwanth Gowda H, Narayana CM, Nagesh Gowda CS, Madhu R, Yashwanth Deep C, Dileep Kumar CK, Rachana Hanamant, Shivaraja G, Praveen Kumar HR, Surinarayana K, Nagaraj CM and Raghavendra GC.
According to sources, three among 12 arrested candidates are police constables.